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Big Business
Big Business is the 9th short story which appeared in the anthology , published in May 1950. This is yet another story narrated by an R.A.F. Group Captain to an audience, probably in the mess. The events of the story took place in Malaya, in the days following the Japanese invasion, thus some time in December 1941. In the anthology, the Big Business is preceded by A Thing to Boast About and followed by Some Go in Darkness. Synopsis Speaking to a multi-national audience, a Group Captain says that there is nothing like war to generate racial animosities. And that sometimes issue of race, creed or class are likely to engender partisanship. However sometimes these clashes could create eccentric combinations and sublime outcomes. He tells the story about two very different pilots. One, for whom everything is a matter of ideals and another, for whom everything is a matter of business. Plot (may contain spoilers - click on expand to read) A Group Captain is hosting a table with a Welshman, a Scot and an American and tells a story. War often stimulates racial animosities and differences of race, creed or class would often generate partisan opinions. But the Group Captain has a story to show that sometimes, these difference could interact to produce an unusual and good, even sublime, outcome. His story concerned two fighter pilots in his fighter squadron based in Malaya. One was an aristocrat named Leofric Tallebois or Leo. He was a peer of the realm, having just inherited his title from his uncle. The other was Jewish and a director of a family firm of bookmakers named Isaac Solomon or Solly, and an archetypal businessman, for whom everything was a matter of business, bets and odds. Both were excellent pilots and their relationship began well when Leo kicked away a cobra from Solly's bed just as he was about to sit on it, thus saving Solly's life. However one day in the mess, Leo makes a disparaging remark about the Nazis being occupiers and landgrabbers of Europe. Solly laughs and is challenged to explain his humour. Solly explains that his family had been landowners in England since the time of the Anglo Saxons. Leofric's family was among the Norman invaders and the historical records showed that Leofric's ancestors had, after the Norman conquest, dispossessed the Solomons and took over their lands. All this Solly said without malice or sarcasm but the atmosphere in the mess becomes tense. Some of the officers in the mess sympathise with Solly while others side with Leo. They are saved by the bell as the squadron is scrambled and are soon engaged in a desperate air combat. Leo is hit and goes down, pursued by a group of Japanese fighters. It looks like the end but Solly now charges at the group, behaving like a buffalo charging a tiger, scattering the enemy. There is one last Nakajima fighter still intent on shooting at Leo's crippled plane, but Solly collides his aircraft against it, chewing off it's tail with his propellor. Solly's plane is now also damaged, and both Solly and Leo ditch near each other. Solly pulls Leo up onto his wing and the two drift ashore together. Leo thanks Solly for saving his life but asks about his strange tactics. Solly replies that he was out of ammunition. Nonetheless he still wanted to save Leo. Leo saved his life from the cobra and he is now repaying a debt. Nothing personal. A matter of business. Leo is annoyed. Why must Solly bring business into everything? Solly counters that there is nothing wrong with business. It is people who do business which enabled others like Leo to spend their time hunting, shooting and fishing. On the other hand, people like Leo, always ready to jump into the firing line, provided a measure of security for people like Solly to practice finance. It is to Solly a sound business arrangement. The two pilots try to make their way through the jungles and swamps of Malaya back to base. The next day, they spot a Mitsubishi fighter with a red dragon device on the fin flying towards them. Ignoring the danger, Leo runs out of cover and waves. The Mitsubishi rakes them with machine gun fire forcing Leo to dive for cover. Solly is hit in the leg with a bad wound. Ignoring his own peril, Leo dashes out of cover and drags Solly in. For Solly this puts Leo in the lead again from the point of view of who owes whom. But Solly is too wounded to travel so he asks Leo to move on without him. Leo refuses to leave Solly and so there emerges yet another argument about business versus ideals. For Solly, if Leo stays with Solly, they would both "fall at the same post". Bad business for both of them. It always pained him that the ablest man whom the country needed, chooses to "go down with the ship". For Leo, customs mean more than cash. For Solly, the country cannot win if its ablest people throw their lives away on a mere whim. Leo is determined to bring Solly back to base and begins cutting bamboo to make a sled. Solly asks him to get him a drink and Leo goes back into the jungle to look for some water. When he returns, Solly is not there. There is a trail leading into the sea. Apparently Solly has dragged himself into the water and deliberately drowned himself. Solly has left a cryptic note for Leo. In it he says there is a note in his kit for Leo. He had asked his London office to send it after Leo had saved him from the cobra. In any case, Leo's lawyers would tell him how matters stand when he returned to England. Solly ends with a request that Leo hunt down the Mitsubishi with the red dragon on its fin. Leo makes it back to base and finds the note. It is a Note of Hand for 50 thousand pounds. Apparently his uncle had been gambling and losing heavily and had pledged away the entire estate for a loan. At the bottom of the note is Solly's signature with a remark that the capital of the loan and interest has now been repaid in full. The Group Captain concludes the story by noting that Leo then took to the air daily and flew relentlessly until he finally shot down the Mitsubishi. Sweet revenge? Not so, the Group Captain tells his audience. It had become for Leo a matter of business. Characters *Unnamed R.A.F. Group Captain, the narrator *Flight Lieutenant Leofric Tallebois *Flying Officer Isaac Solomon Aircraft *R.A.F. fighter during the Malayan Campaign - probably a Brewster Buffalo *Japanese Nakajima fighter - probably a Nakajima Ki-27 Nate *Japanese Mitsubishi fighter - probably a Mitsubishi A5M Claude Ships Places *Malaya Research Notes Publication History *Collected in Short Sorties, Latimer House, 1950 *Collected in Short Sorties and Sky Fever, Norman Wright, 2006 References Category:Short stories Category:Other short stories Category:Adult short stories